Charleston, WV vs Providence, RI
Moving from Charleston to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($148,817 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Charleston vs Providence at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charleston, WV, you'd need about $113,983 in Providence, RI (+$13,983).
Livability — Charleston, WV: 77 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,714 sqft in Charleston vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($88 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, WV | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,180 | $25,956 | +$10,776 |
| Groceries | $4,767 | $4,922 | +$155 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,875 | +$465 |
| Utilities | $1,740 | $3,060 | +$1,320 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,700 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $8,230 | $13,121 | +$4,892 |
| Total | $34,627 | $52,634 | +$18,007 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charleston, WV | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.76% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.3% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $148,817 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.7× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $88 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,265 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.55% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.12% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.66% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.1 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |